King of Underworld

Chapter 82 The Story of Bellerophon – (5)

While the hero’s quest was still ongoing, Gaia intervened with Chimera, destroying Athena’s temple and killing Bellerophon…

Though she couldn’t change Chimera’s fate of being killed by Bellerophon,

She still chose a path that led to the same destiny, much like how I had advised Perseus before.

“Did you see that, Lady Lethe?”

“Yes… Gaia possesses prophetic powers rivaling those of Prometheus.”

“Even if we create a hero and win the war against the Gigantes, it might end up being a pyrrhic victory.”

We may win the war against the Gigantes, but the Titans could be released, or Gaia might strike back.

Or perhaps Gaia would give birth to new monsters to replace the Gigantes.

I should prepare more…

Gaia is one of the primordial gods, the Protogenoi.

Among the ancient gods, only other Protogenoi can be compared to her.

Under the omnipotent Chaos, who was the first to exist, there are only a few Protogenoi, including Gaia.

There’s Erebus, the god of darkness, or Nyx, the goddess of night, and the god of the abyss, Tartarus.

Tartarus, being hell itself, doesn’t interfere in anything…

And Erebus and Nyx… Hmm. They have both withdrawn from worldly matters.

As I fell into deep contemplation, the goddess Lethe, standing beside me, spoke.

“Hades.”

“What is it?”

“Bellerophon will soon arrive in the Underworld… Will you grant him some sort of reward for his deeds?”

It had been some time since Thanatos’ shadow moved toward him…

By now, Bellerophon, who had died alongside Chimera, should be arriving in the Underworld.

Although his crime of killing his brother disqualified him from Elysium…

A hero who fulfilled his task must be duly rewarded.

I called a messenger and gave an order.

“When the hero who killed Chimera arrives in the Underworld, bring him before me.”

“Yes, Lord Hades.”

* * *

After waiting for a short while with Lady Lethe in the audience chamber, the hero finally arrived.

With the help of Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, Bellerophon had regained his memories from the mortal world, though his face was still twisted as if feeling phantom pain.

Kneeling before me, he seemed to feel both regret and a bitter realization of his death.

“Uh… what brings the Lord of the Underworld to summon me?”

“You, in your mortal body, accomplished the great feat of slaying a child of Typhon, yet you did not receive a proper reward in the mortal world.”

“…?!”

“Is there anything you desire? I promise to give you a reward fitting of your great achievement.”

If no reward were given to the hero who sacrificed his life to slay a monster, who would ever want to become a hero?

If he didn’t need a material reward, I would at least ensure his name was widely known…

However, the words that came from his mouth were beyond my expectations.

“Then, I… I wish to become a god, like Lord Pluto!”

“Hm?”

“I want to ascend to Olympus, become one of the gods, and enjoy eternal life…”

With sparkling eyes, Bellerophon raised his head and began to passionately make his case.

Becoming a god, though… seems a bit excessive…

Especially wanting to ascend to Olympus, not as a lesser god of the Underworld? That’s not something I can grant, not to mention needing the agreement of Zeus and the other gods.

Hmm. Still, he is the hero who gave his life to kill Chimera, so I can tolerate this bit of audacity.

I decided to explain calmly, waving my hand to stop him.

“…You seem to have an overly idealized view of the gods.”

“Excuse me?”

“What do you think a god is? Why do you wish to become one?”

After some contemplation, he answered…

“Aren’t gods eternal and immortal, perfect in every way? I have always longed to become a god!”

“Perfect…?”

“Having slain that mighty monster, please give me the chance to become a god as well!”

There have been cases of mortals becoming gods before.

Medusa, who suffered greatly at the hands of the gods, eventually became one…

And Dionysus, who spread wine and gathered followers, ultimately claimed his place among the gods.

However, even heroes like Cadmus and Perseus didn’t become gods, so making Bellerophon a god is… challenging.

Moreover, he didn’t gather any worship in the mortal world, and he wishes to become a god on Olympus, not the Underworld.

There’s also the blemish of him accidentally killing his own brother, which cannot be ignored.

But considering his great feat of slaying Chimera with his life on the line…

“You first need to understand what it truly means to be a god and what responsibilities come with it.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Spend 100 days in the Underworld, experiencing the duties of a lesser god. If, after that, you still wish to become a god, I will speak to Olympus on your behalf.”

“…! Thank you! Lord Pluto!”

Bellerophon bowed deeply, repeatedly expressing his gratitude.

But perhaps it was too soon for him to be thanking me.

“Thank you so much!”

“Well…”

The daily life of the gods might be very different from what you imagine…

A short while later, as Bellerophon joyfully left, I turned to look at Lady Lethe beside me.

She gazed at me with sparkling eyes, as if she shared the same thought.

“Hades…! Couldn’t we assign that human to the River of Forgetfulness? Lately, the souls of the dead have been refusing to lose their memories…”

“I was thinking of sending him to assist Eros with torturing the sinners first. After that…”

“Ah…”

Hearing that Bellerophon wouldn’t be assigned to her domain, Lady Lethe’s expression subtly drooped.

I looked at the dejected goddess for a moment…

And gently stroked her soft hair.

Her beautiful silver strands slipped through my fingers like silk.

“Hyaa! Ha… Ha… Hades?!”

“I am well aware of all the help you’ve given me.”

She was truly startled. When was the last time she approached me so closely, yet…

Was this the first time I had reached out first?

Lady Lethe, utterly flustered, tried to pull away, but I lightly grasped her wrist.

“Please continue to assist me for just a little longer. Someday, I will definitely…”

“Hehe… Alright… I understand. Just… could you let go of my hand now?”

“Oh.”

As I released her hand, the silver-haired goddess bolted out of the audience chamber.

Her red-tinted nape was all the more visible as she ran off, covering her face.

Thunk.

“Ow! Ugh…”

She was in such a rush that she bumped her head on the door.

Of course, the audience chamber door had a dent where her divine forehead had struck… Oh, I still need to fix the part where Lady Styx bumped her foot last time.

* * *

Having left the audience chamber in a hurry, Lady Lethe briskly made her way somewhere.

Her destination was an office in the Underworld.

“Styx! Styx! Styx!”

“What… What is it?! Lethe!”

“Lady Lethe…?”

Inside, Styx and Menthe, who had been working with stacks of parchment, were startled by Lady Lethe’s sudden entrance, her face flushed.

But without paying them any mind, the goddess of forgetfulness went straight to Styx.

“For the past few days, Hades has been acting strangely whenever he sees you. What happened between you two?”

“Why all of a sudden… today?”

“Hades stroked my hair for the first time today with such tenderness! Spill it! If he’s acting this way with me, then what exactly happened between you two last time…”

Indeed. Just recently, while riding Pegasus…

It wasn’t surprising that the other gods had noticed the change in Styx after she kissed Hades.

But until now, Lethe had always known Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, as someone who…

Wasn’t particularly bothered by goddesses approaching him, but would step back if they came too close, as if there was an invisible barrier.

This time, however, something was different.

“Surely you didn’t… take things that far?”

“Wh-What do you mean, take things far?!”

With Hades behaving differently today, the situation seemed to have shifted.

Shaking her head in denial, Styx, however, couldn’t stop her ears from turning red as she recalled the recent event.

“Now that you mention it, Hades has been acting a bit strange lately. His gaze… has become a bit more gentle.”

“Yes… It feels like the barrier around his heart is starting to come down.”

Menthe, sensing something odd as well, chimed in.

Had Persephone been here, she would have immediately run to Hades, noticing this change.

But Persephone had long since ascended to the mortal world.

“Could it be that Eros shot one of his arrows…?”

“Eros is still working here in the Underworld, though?”

* * *

Meanwhile, Bellerophon, still aspiring to become a god, was led to a certain location by a servant.

This place, which seemed to emanate heat hotter than the flames of Chimera…

“Aaah! Stop it…”

“Gah! Argh!”

“Please, save me! No, I beg for forgiveness!”

It was filled with numerous grievous sinners who were not quite deserving of Tartarus but couldn’t escape punishment.

The souls writhed in agony, unable to escape the fiery ground beneath them.

“You need to deliver these arrows to Lord Eros over there.”

“Oh…”

Whoosh! Thunk!

“Gyaaah!”

A winged child-like god relentlessly fired arrows from above.

So, that god must be Eros, but…

“Hey, human! If you’re here, hurry up and bring me more arrows!”

“Oh… yes, yes!”

Why is the god of love working here in the Underworld?

And why is he working so tirelessly, without a moment’s rest?!